Iraq (1958-1965, 2003-2004)

When the Iraqi monarchy was overthrown in 1958 an Iraqi music student studying in Vienna, Louis Zanbaka, hurriedly composed a national anthem and relayed it to the republican government through the Iraq embassy in Vienna. “My Country”, like the “Royal Salute” before it has no words and is also in the “Arab fanfare” style of anthem (although it is usually monarchies and emirates that tend to adopt this style of anthem).

Immediately after the fall of the Sadam Hussein government in 2003, “My Country” was used again for a brief time as an interim anthem until a new one was adopted. (The title of this anthem is identical to the title of the anthem that replaced it in 2004).

Special thanks to: Edward Schaffer, Jan Scotland, and Reinhard Popp for some of this information.